Hotels rely on transparency
The Fred Tschanz Group focuses on transparency: Thanks to the ginto platform, they can now provide their guests with detailed information about the accessibility of their locations. A small gesture with a big impact.
Self-recognition creates awareness
Book a hotel room, meet for a quick coffee, choose a restaurant... A seemingly simple task requires considerable research for people with disabilities. Are the doors wide enough? Is there a lift to the toilet in the basement? How high is the threshold? Not all restaurants make this information visible on their websites. And “barrier-free access” does not mean the same for all people. The Fred Tschanz team realized how diverse the needs of the guests are when they registered their businesses on the ginto platform.
“This awareness raising is an important part of the ginto project,” says Julian Heeb, who developed the platform and the associated app. “Anyone can download the GINTO app and enter locations or add information, whether for their own shop or their favorite café. This crowdsourcing approach not only creates direct added value for keeping the app up to date, but also an understanding of the everyday lives of those affected.” Die GINTO app can be downloaded for free and personalized for your own needs. On a map, all listed restaurants can be seen and filtered, from the hairdresser salon to the district office to the restaurant. Thanks to an active community, there are already over 15,000 entries, with new ones being added every day.
“We have measured virtually all areas of our businesses and documented them with photos, from the bed height in the rooms to the wheeled height of the tables on the terrace. For historical reasons, our buildings are not optimally accessible; space is sometimes scarce even for strollers. However, this recording made it clear to us how important it is to communicate this information transparently in order to make it easier for guests with mobility disabilities to participate in social life.”
The OK:GO initiative ensures visibility
The Swiss Tourism Association (STV) is also committed to greater inclusion. Michelle Keusch is responsible for implementing the OK:GO initiative, which helps Swiss tourism providers record and publish information on the accessibility of their offers. “For people with mobility restrictions, accessibility information plays just as important a role in travel planning as opening times,” says Project Manager Sustainability. “On the one hand, we offer assistance with recording in the GINTO app, and on the other hand, we award participating companies with the OK:GO label. I am very pleased that Fred Tschanz as a Swisstainable company is now part of our initiative.”
Lyrics: Fred Hotels
